Apparatuses for changing the diapers of a baby or "changing a baby" and other small children not yet toilet trained, have become widely used, such as in public restrooms, to assist a parent or other child supervisor when changing a baby's diapers. Such baby diaper changing apparatuses, often times referred to as simply baby changing stations, have taken various forms as evidenced by patents in the field, and generally take the form of a base which is mounted vertically onto a surface of a wall and a support platform or surface which is hingedly mounted to the base to hinge down from the base and lie generally horizontal to support a baby. While available baby changing apparatuses may operate sufficiently for the primary purpose of offering a generally flat surface on which to rest a baby during a diaper change, the currently available apparatuses have various drawbacks and often do not adequately address the needs of the infant and the parent which arise during a diaper change procedure.
Pursuant to various laws and codes regarding public restroom facilities, such as the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Baby changing stations and other wall mounted objects within the restroom must not protrude from the wall greater than approximately four inches. The four inch specification must be met when the baby changing station is in the closed or up position As may be appreciated, the effective depth of any top surface of the support platform is generally restricted by the thickness of the support platform. Existing baby changing apparatuses have effective depths which are necessarily less than four inches so that they do not protrude from the wall a distance greater than allowed in the regulations. Such a relatively shallow platform surface is often not adequate for containing older babies and toddlers who may still require diaper changes. Toddlers are generally stronger and more active than newborn babies, and therefore may struggle more during a diaper changing. It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide enhanced safety for all babies and particularly additional security for larger and more active babies and toddlers during the changing process.
Some of the existing baby changing stations includes straps which are held together across a baby by VELCRO.RTM. brand hook and loop fasteners or some other suitable fastening mechanism. However, the baby is often placed on top of the straps and the parents do not use them apparently due to the inconvenience of securing them or due to the size of the child being changed. Therefore, it is another objective of the baby changing station to automatically enhance the safety of a baby on the station without requiring specific procedures by the parent or child attendant.
Existing baby changing stations are also particularly subject to defacement since they are located on the walls of public restroom facilities. When the baby changing station is in the up position, it presents a large outer surface area which somewhat invites vandalism. Vandals generally mark the outer surface with graffiti and scrape and abrade the exposed surfaces. As may be appreciated, such vandalism discourages use of the changing station by protective parents and further degrades the overall appearance of cleanliness within the restroom facility sending a message of neglect to users of the facility. The graffiti and vandalism is often permanent on the exposed surfaces of the changing station and requires the costly remedy of replacing the entire changing station. Therefore, it is an objective of the invention to reduce the costly and permanent damage from vandalism of baby changing stations. It is a further objective of the invention to reduce the necessity of replacing entire changing stations because of graffiti and vandalism.
Presently available baby changing stations utilize baby-supporting surfaces which are often barely large enough to hold a baby. Therefore, the person changing the baby is faced with difficulties in arranging and using the various supplies such as lotions, powders, extra diapers and baby wipes which are utilized when changing a baby. Since, existing changing stations provide only a flat surface for changing a baby, the supplies must be placed on the floor or precariously placed next to the baby on the changing surface. As may be appreciated, parents are often very reluctant to place changing supplies on a dirty bathroom floor, and therefore, are often left wedging such supplies on the support surface against the baby creating an inconvenient environment and discomfort to the baby. Furthermore, a person changing the baby is often left holding a dirty diaper which must be placed within the diaper bag or carried to a bathroom waste can, thereby creating a situation where the baby is left unattended. Accordingly, it is another objective of the present invention to provide a more convenient, safe and efficient environment for changing a baby within a restroom facility.
An additional drawback to existing baby changing apparatuses is the fact that most such apparatuses are fabricated of a single neutral color which, more often than not, does not match the color schemes of tile and vanity surfaces utilized within the restroom facility. Contractors, architects and the owners of public facilities often go to great lengths to present a clean and efficient restroom area with a pleasing design and color scheme. Often the colors are corporate colors and are used in all restroom facilities in a particular establishment, such as a fast-food restaurant chain. Existing single color baby changing apparatuses detract from the overall decor because their large, neutral exposed surfaces clash with the colors within the restroom area. Furthermore, since the off-color baby changing apparatuses are mounted to a wall, they are particularly noticeable, further detracting from the decor. When the baby-supporting platform is in an up and closed position, the large amount of exposed surface area against the wall of the restroom presents a distinct clash with other restroom apparatuses and surfaces. Therefore, it is another objective of the present invention to present a more uniform decorative impression within a public restroom facility utilizing a baby changing apparatus.
For practical reasons, the baby changing stations will not be cleaned each time they are utilized. Therefore, several babies may be changed between cleanings leaving a dirty or soiled changing surface. As a result, other parents may be reluctant to use the changing station. Therefore, it is another objective of the present invention to economically and efficiently provide a clean, sanitary surface on which to change a baby, even after the apparatus has been used for multiple changings.
It is still another objective to present a baby changing apparatus which is easy to install and utilize and which provides a convenient environment for changing a baby without drastically increasing the size of the apparatus or increasing its projection depth from a wall surface.
All of the above-stated objectives must be accomplished while meeting specific construction codes and regulations pertaining to baby changing stations and other restroom fixtures. As discussed, the Americans With Disability Act (ADA) states that the projections depth from wall of a baby changing stations must be four inches or less. Therefore, it is a further objective to provide a baby changing station which addresses the aforementioned objectives while meeting current regulations.